Arresting gear retrieve system



Feb. 6, 1962 R. J. HABER 0 ARRESTING GEAR RETRIEVE SYSTEM Filed July 10, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 N INENTOR M 5 05;)? offlaai' ATTORNEY Feb. 6, 1962 R. J. HABER ARRESTING GEAR RETRIEVE SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 10, 1958 Mil INVENTOR.

I I I I IIIIFIIII IIIIIIL lIHIIlI lIIL Feb. 6, 1962 R. J. HABER ARRESTING GEAR RETRIEVE. SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 10, 1958 m H J v 0 an d H 1 2 6 M y .1, P X. l whm n N/ m //x/////'!r r Illlll q .lllll Nu l.

Feb. 6, 1962 R. J. HABER ARRESTING GEAR RETRIEVE SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 10, 1958 Feb. 6, 1962 R. J. HABER 3,020,010

ARRESTING GEAR RETRIEVE SYSTEM Filed July 10, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,029,010 ARRESTING GEAR RETREEVE SYSTEM Rohert J. Haher, ,Graylyn Crest, NewCastle, D.el.,..as=

signer; to All American Engineering. Company," Wilmmgton, l el., a corporation of Delaware Fried July 10, 1958,-'Ser.N0.' 747,629 4 Claims. -(Cl.244-11-0) The present invention relates to aretrieverasystem for arrest engines of the type described, claimed and illustrated in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,731,219, issuedlJanuary 17, i956, and 2,777,653, issued: January 15, 1957.

.These arresting engines include across deck arresting pendant, connected .to arrest cables on each'sideof the deck or landing strip, .which'cables are reeved around deck sheaves and coupled respectively to arrest engines or pistons movable in the bore of liquid-filled tubeszon each side of the deck or landing strip, said tubes-being sealed at each end to hold arresting fluid therein. These pistons prior to each, arrest operation are -positioned at the opposite end of-their-respectivearrest tubesfrom the arresting pendant'a-nd when the pendant is engagedby a landing aircraft or the 1ike,the respective pistons-are pulled forward through liquid in the tubes and the aircraft is 'decelera-ted and brought'to an arrested position.

'-Following each arrest it becomes essential to-return the pistons to their original or battery-positions,nand 'it is art-object of this invention to provide a low cost and eificient retrieve system for returning thearrest pistons; which retrieve system is capable of recycling thearrest unit for arresting operations at oneminutei-ntervals or-less.-

Another object is to provide shovel-fluid powered retrieve system with a novel 'remoteor manual control arrangement'toractuating the retrieve cable following each arrest action. 7

It is often very critical during the retrieving operation to be able to control all the progressive stages of the retrieve mechanism. That is, the retrieve operation must at timesbe completely stopped for safety reasons'orit may be desired to simplyslow down the operation for inspection of the arrest cable and the arrest'andretrieve mechanism. Also, it may be necessary to'stop the mechanism for repairs and often in the'caseof high speed arrests the arrest cable becomes kinked and such "kinks must promptly be removed to "prevent damage 'to the retrieve apparatus.

Accordingly, another morespeci'tic object is to provide selectively controlled brake means --for selectively "and progressively slowing downthe arrest cable for inspection of the condition of the cable and'for complete-stopping of the retrieve operation at various'ret'rieving stages for safety reasons, such as repairs, and the removing of cable kinks and entanglements with undesirable objects "or ob structions in the path of the arrest cable ash is being retrieved after each arrest operation.

'With the present invention, it is very desirable "to provide the highest possible efficiency in fluid sealing around the outer diameter of'the retrieve cable. Accordingly, another object of this invention is to provide 'a novel seal means in combination with a cable 'having'an outer smooth surface, such aspiano wire or in someinstances the retrieve line or cable may be covered with a smooth coating of metal or plastic to provide the desired smooth outer surface.

A vfurther object is to provide means .to pretension the arrest pendant of the arresting engine, if desired.

Gther objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description when considered with the accompanying drawings wherein an embodiment ofthe system is illustrated.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts in the several views:

I ite States atfillt Patented Feb. 6, 1962 the relative positions with respect thereto of the arrest engines, the deck pendant, and the mechanism of the novel retrieving system;

,lFlGURE 2 is a side view taken in section of the below ground installation of an arrest tube and retrieve tube in side elevation for onetside of the landing deck orstrip of: FIGURE 1 FIGURE 3' is a top plan slightly enlarged of part of-the arresting mechanism and of the retrieve mechanism as diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross section view of the retrieve tube end seals through which the retrieve wire or smooth surface cable extends;

FIGURE 5 is-a cross section view of the retrieve system piston and the coupling arrangement for the retrieve wire or-cablegand- FIGURES is atransverse section of FIGURES;

FIGURE 6 is a general diagrammatic layoutof theretrieve system power plant;

FIGURE 7 is a side and top perspective view of a cable clamp-to beused when the retrieving is tobe accomplished either manually or by remote control;

FIGURE 8 is an end and top perspective view of the cable clampof FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is atop plan view of an arresting system illustrating the clamps applied to the arrest cables;

FIGURE 10 is a side view of a clamp and a manual operating lever therefor;

FIGURE 11 is an end view of the lever means of FIG- URE l0;

FIGURElZis a schematic illustration of a remote control arrangementfor a cable-clamp retrieving arrangement; 1

FIGURE 13 is a top plan view of a cable clamp and slave unit for operating the clamp; and

FIGURE 14 is a side view of the same.

Referring to the drawings in detail andiirst with particuiar reference to the complete system of FIGURES l and 2, including the arresting mechanism andthe present inventionnovel retrievingsystem, there is shown a landing =surface,.runway, deck, or strip R, an arresting tube A and retrieving tube B installed in duplicate on each side 'ofthe landing surface below ground level, an arresting cable from the tube A paying out around a sheave supported aboveground andcoupled at C by a suitable means to a-landingsurface or deck pendant P. extendingacross the surface R-to a secondsimilar suitable coupling connection C with the arrest cable extended from the duplicate arrest tube A at the opposite side ofthe surface R. Y

.At theopposite end of each arrest tube A and A is a pit :S in which is mounted on a bracket 12 a sheave 13 .around which is reeved the retrieve line 1 of piano wire or similarhigh strength smooth surfaced material. This retrieve line 1 is coupledbetween the trailing end of the arrest piston-2 in a respective arrest tube A or A and the end of a retrieve piston 3 inthe retrieve tube B adjacent the tube 1A, aswill be hereinafter described.

The retrieve piston 3 is mounted or positioned within the bore of the airtight or fluid sealed tube B, which extends the lengthof the arresting section of tube A. It is preferably a plastic expansion type piston comprising a main body 5 vof molded plastic material, plastic piston rings -6, and a coupling means, such as through bolt7, see FIGURE 5, formed with a coupling member 7 for attaching the piano wire retrieve line to the piston in the tube B; -The main body 5 of the piston is formed with vented grooves 8 for each piston ring6, which are seated therein. These grooves are vented by means of ventholes 9 to an air or gas pressure area 0. l

The air in area is compressed by movement of the piston 3 toward an adjacent closed end of the retrieving tube B. This pressure is vented into the inside annular surfaces of the several piston rings 6 by means of the vent ports 9. Such venting action forces the plastic rings 6 out against the inside surface of the retrieve tube B effecting a seal for air being compressed ahead of the piston 3 in the area 0.

The adjacent closed end of the retrieving tube B is sealed by means of an end seal or packing member 10, see FIG. 4. This end seal or packing member 16 comprises a plurality of stacked centrally apertured sealing discs 10 and end cap 11 with a bar 12 through which extends the smooth surfaced retrieve line 1. The discs are stacked in the member 10 between annular shoulder 11 and the projecting center portion of the cap 11. The bar 12 is welded on the end cap 11, thereby making replacement and tightening of the end cap a simple operation without the need of tools. The entire end seal assembly may be removed or replaced by the detachable coupling member 20. Such couplings are well known in the art. The piano wire retrieve line 1 is passed or reeved around the sheave 13 in pit S and couples to the trailing end of the arrest engine piston 2 inside the arresting engine tube A.

Below the ground surface and connecting into the pit S by valves 14 and 15 is an accumulator 16. The valve 14 is a manual control valve and regulates the rate at which the air compressed in area 0 is permitted to return to the retrieving tube B, and thus controls the speed at which the retrieving piston 3 is pushed back up the retrieving tube B. Also, as the retrieving piston 3 is forced back along the retrieving tube B the attached retrieve line 1 is likewise accelerated to retrieve the arresting piston 2 to battery position.

An arresting pendant pretensioning system is provided at the pit S. For example, if a pre-tensioned system is desired, that is, if the deck pendant P is to be held at a predetermined tension across the landing surface R, pressure is built up in the air retrieve tube B in area 0 and accumulator 16 against the air retrieve piston 3 by means of a valve 17 connected to a bank of loaded gas or air storage tanks T. When the valve 17 is opened gas or air is released from the storage tanks. Any desired precharge in the system may be made by reference to a pressure gage 22, which indicates the pressure within the retrieve tube B at any given point in the retrieve cycle.

The accumulator 16 may be drained of any moisture accumulation by means of a manually operated drain and blow-off valve 19, see FIGURE 6.

Also, if desired, the herebefore described pressure system may be controlled during the retrieving operation by clamping devices 24 which are installed in each respective sheave mounting plate 25, see FIGURES l, 7, 8 and 9.

The cable clamps 24 used each comprise a main body having a steel cast base 25 with mounting holes 26 and 27 for fasteners to secure the same to the respective sheave plates 23 on the landing surface R positioned at each side thereof. The clamp base 25 is formed to provide a channel 28 with converging side walls 29 and 30 to slidably mount cable grips 31 and 32. The cable grips run on converging roller assemblies 33 and 34, which roller assemblies permit the cable grips 31 and 32 to move freely under load. These clamps grip the arresting engine purchase cable 35 or 36 of the particular arresting gear used, and each clamp is provided with a release pin 37 extending through the C-clamps 39 and 40 of the device. When the pin 37 is released the C-clamps 39 and 40 are raised up and the cable 35 or 36 is placed between and through the cable grips 31 and 32. In addition to the C-clamps 39 and 40, retainer plates 41 and 42 are provided, which help to keep the cable grips in position in the channel 28.

Secured at one end to the bottom of each opposite channel wall 29 and -.30 by screw means 43 are cable grip springs 44 and 45. These springs connect to the roller assemblies and serve to pull and hold the roller assemblies 33 and 34 and cable grips 31 and 32 to the open position when not under cable load.

To provide for manual control of the retrieving operation the cable clamps 24 are provided with a manual control lever 46 including a yoke 47 pivotally connected to members 48 and 49 which are secured in attaching holes 50 and 51 in the ends of the respective cable clamp grips 31 and 32. The bores defining these openings may be threaded and thereby be secured by threaded engagement with the threaded ends, not shown, of members 48 and 49. Also, the lever 46 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 52 extending through the bracket cars 53 and 54, see FIGURES l0 and 11.

When the lever is operated in the direction F the cable clamp jaws 31 and 32 are withdrawn from their respective converging guide rollers 33 and 34 by the members 48 and 49 connected with the lever 46 by the yoke 47, and the cable 35 is permitted to slide through the clamp 24. If the cable 35 or cable 36 is to be stopped or slowed down, the lever 46 is operated in direction G. This causes the cable clamp jaws 31 and 32 to move forward in their respective converging guide rollers 33 and 34 by virtue of the pushing force exerted thereon through the members 48 and 49 and the yoke 47 and clamp the cable 35 or 36, as the case may be, between them.

A control lever and a corresponding cable clamp 24 is provided for each arresting engine on each side of the runway R for control of either cable 35 or 36.

In FIGURES l2, l3 and 14 there are generally illustrated means for remote control of the clamping devices 24 by provision of a master and slave hydraulic system.

A slave unit 60 is attached to the cable clamp base by means of a mounting angle 61. The slave unit includes a shaft 62 attached to the cable clamp jaws 31 and 32 by a yoke plate 63, said plate being intermediately apertured adjacent the top edge to receive the threaded end of the slave shaft 62 and be secured as by a nut 64, while the lower portion of the yoke plate is apertured for alignment with the openings 50 and 51 in the clamp jaws 31 and 32 to secure the same thereto by means 65 and 66, such as nuts and bolts or the like.

In this arrangement, for example, when the slave unit 60 is extended the jaws 31 and 32 grip the cable 35 and when the unit is retracted the jaws release the cable in the same manner as in the manual control.

A single master unit 67 with a control lever 68 may operate both slave units 60 for each cable 35 and 36 of each arresting engine or separate master units for each slave unit may be provided.

Of course the clamp arrangements are optional, but they have particular utility to control the air retrieve system when it is desired to slow down the retrieve operation or to stop the operation at some particular stage thereof.

Although the several features of the present invention have been described in particular detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited to such details and various changes may be made in the combination, arrangement and formation of the parts without departing from the concept and scope of the invention. Reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope hereof.

I claim:

1. An arrest engine piston retriever system, comprising an elongated fluid sealed retrieve tube, a piston in the retrieve tube, a retrieve line coupled at one end to said piston and at the opposite end to the trailing end of an arrest cngine piston having an arrest cable attached to its opposite end, an end seal mounted in an end of the retrieve tube, said seal permitting the passage therethrough of said retrieve line, a source of fluid pressure supply adjacent the tube and connected thereto, manually operated valve means interconnected between said pressure supply and said tube adapted to release pressure into the retrieve tube to move said retrieve piston in the tube, and manual control means for said retrieve system adapted to selectively grip said arrest cable to slow down or stop the retrieve operation at any desired stage thereof said manual control means acting during the retrieve operation to selectively apply a partial or full braking force, respectively, to said system.

2. The retriever system described in claim 1, wherein said manual control means adapted to slow down or stop the retrieve operation is a cable clamp having movable cable clamping jaws, and a manually operated lever operably connected With said jaws for moving said jaws into clamping engagement with said arrest cable whereby a partial or full braking action may be selectively applied thereto to respectively slow down or stop the retrieve operation at any desired stage thereof.

3. An arrest engine piston retriever system, comprising an elongated fluid sealed retrieve tube, a piston in the retrieve tube, a retrieve line coupled at one end to said piston and at the opposite end to the trailing end of an arrest engine piston, an end seal mounted in an end of the retrieve tube, said seal permitting the passage therethrough of said retrieve line, a source of fluid pressure supply adjacent the tube and manually operated valve means adapted to release pressure into the retrieve tube to move said retrieve piston in the tube, manual control means for said retrieve system adapted to slow down or stop the retrieve operation at any desired stage thereof, said manual control means being a cable clamp comprising cable clamping jaws for gripping said arrest cable and a manually operated lever operably connected to said jaws to move said jaws into clamping engagement with said arrest cable to provide a selected partial or a full braking action to respectively slow down or stop the retrieve operation at any stage thereof, said lever forming a part of a remote control system including a master and a slave hydraulic system, each of the jaws of a clamp being operatively coupled to a slave unit connected by a fluid conduit to a master cylinder with a piston and a arrest engine piston, an end seal mounted in an end of the retrieve tube, said seal permitting the passage therethrough of said retrieve line, a source of fiuid pressure supply adjacent the tube and manually operated valve means adapted to release pressure into the retrieve tube to move said retrieve piston in the tube, manual control means for said retrieve system adapted to slow down or stop the retrieve operation at any desired stage thereof, said retrieve piston comprising a molded plastic body having a plurality of spaced piston ring grooves, a piston ring in each groove, each of said grooves having vent ports and passages to the interior of a pressure area in the retrieve tube, whereby the resulting pressure in said ports from said pressure area provides radial expansion of said piston rings into engagement with the bore of said retrieve tube to provide a pressure seal at one end of said pressure area, said pressure area being controllable by a valve means operable to control the pressure in said pressure area and against one side of said retrieve piston to pretension said arrest cable, and a pressure gage connected to said pressure area to provide a positive indication of the amount of pretension on said arrest cable.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,347,105 LeMesurier July 20, 1920 2,066,094 Crawford Dec. 29, 1936 2,799,523 Parker July 16, 1957 2,814,365 Snow Nov. 26, 1957 2,860,732 Snow Nov. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 480,692 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1938 

